Office of the President of the Millennium Assembly55th session of the United Nations General Assembly

Message fromH.E. MR. HARRI HOLKERIPresident of the General Assembly

On the occasion of
International Volunteer Day
for Economic and Social Development
5 December 2000

The late Mother Teresa once
said: "There should be less preaching - preaching does not unite us. What unites
us is working together for mutual benefit." I think this thought captures the
essence of voluntarism and the values of voluntarism which, not only accomplish
concrete achievements, but which also give people a feeling of belonging and
a feeling of being valuable. In our present hectic cyber-age, the nearly invisible
voluntary work within societies is becoming more and more valuable and acutely
essential at a time when government social safety nets are being curtailed or
dismantled. We all know, whether we admit it or not, that in the back alleys
of this fast-living world there are dropouts. Frequently it is volunteers and
volunteer organizations that care for these fellow citizens.

Proclaiming the year 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers was a wise
decision by the General Assembly and a good omen for the new millennium. Rekindling
the volunteer spirit worldwide is needed. Voluntarism is not only required in
the social field. It contributes significantly to cultural, humanitarian and
peace-building efforts. In my view, advancement of literacy is one area where
voluntarism pays off and helps build national capital.

Voluntarism has always been with us - in every society and civilization. But
the value of work of volunteers is not always appreciated. I believe that the
International Year of Volunteers will boost recognition and appreciation and
help remove obstacles and misconceptions about voluntarism and voluntary organisations.

With the help of modern media and communication tools, voluntary advocacy group
networks have become powerful global conscience-builders that can impact business
ethics and save pristine environments, cultural heritage sites, endangered species
or persecuted people.

I wish to conclude with another thought of the late Mother Teresa: "What can
you do? Take a broom and clean your neighbour's house." Voluntarism is simple
but significant.